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Dickey baffles Royals as Blue Jays win series

8/2/15: Chris Colabello drills a two-run home run just over the wall in left-center field to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the 4th

By Jeffrey Flanagan and Dan Toman
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- Right-hander R.A. Dickey threw seven shutout innings and Chris Colabello smashed a two-run homer as the Blue Jays earned a 5-2 win over the Royals on Sunday to win three of the four games in the series at Rogers Centre.

Jeffrey Flanagan is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FlannyMLB. Dan Toman is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Things get heated as Blue Jays down Royals

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Sanchez ejected, benches clear 4:37

8/2/15: The benches clear in the 8th inning after Aaron Sanchez is ejected for hitting Alcides Escobar with a pitch

By Dan Toman
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- Benches cleared during the eighth inning of the Blue Jays' 5-2 win over the Royals on Sunday at Rogers Centre after a series of hit batters and inside pitches led to the ejections of Toronto manager John Gibbons, right-hander Aaron Sanchez and bench coach DeMarlo Hale.

Tension had been building throughout the afternoon after Edinson Volquez hit Josh Donaldson in the first inning and nearly plunked him again in the third. Both dugouts received a warning after Donaldson's hit by pitch in the first.

Outfielder looks forward to being in Blue Jays' push for postseason

TORONTO -- Outfielder Ben Revere went from one extreme to the other on Friday afternoon when he was traded to the Blue Jays after spending the last three seasons with the Phillies.

Revere made his Toronto debut and went hitless in a 7-6 loss to Kansas City on Saturday, but he did make a leaping catch at the wall in left to rob Kendrys Morales of extra bases in the sixth. Even just by looking at him, it's easy to tell how excited Revere is by the new surroundings.

Price's Toronto debut opens crucial set vs. Twins

7/31/15: David Price is introduced as the newest member of the Blue Jays and talks about how he hopes to lead the team to the playoffs

By Betsy Helfand
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MLB.com |

The Blue Jays made a big push before Friday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, as they chase after a postseason berth. Toronto is just behind the Twins in the race for the second American League Wild Card spot and will host Minnesota for a four-game series. The Blue Jays will open the series on Monday with their new ace, David Price, on the mound.

After a crazy trip to Toronto that included a blown tire delaying his introductory press conference, Price is ready to make his debut with his new team. Price draws Ervin Santana in the first game of the series.

Blue Jays' power surge doesn't slow Royals

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Bautista's two homers 1:28

8/1/15: Jose Bautista crushes two solo home runs for the Blue Jays, one in the 5th and one in the 8th

By Gregor Chisholm and Jeffrey Flanagan
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- The Royals scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning vs. recently acquired right-hander Mark Lowe to steal a victory away from the Blue Jays with a 7-6 win on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

"We had to have this one today," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We had to find a way to beat [Mark] Buehrle, especially the way he performs against us."

Lowe isn't rattled by shaky Blue Jays debut

TORONTO -- Mark Lowe's debut in a Blue Jays uniform was one he'll want to forget after allowing three runs in a 7-6 loss to the Royals on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

Lowe entered in the eighth inning looking to protect a 5-4 lead. He retired Alcides Escobar to start the frame, but then proceeded to surrender a solo homer to Ben Zobrist. That was just the first sign of trouble as the issues continued when Kansas City followed with three consecutive hits.

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday morning, as they optioned right-hander Ryan Tepera to Triple-A Buffalo and designated Danny Valencia and outfielder Ezequiel Carrera for assignment.

The moves came as Toronto created space on its 25-man roster for recently acquired outfielder Ben Revere and right-hander Mark Lowe. The Blue Jays also recalled infielder Munenori Kawasaki and will, at least temporarily, go with an eight-man bullpen.

Duquette: Three biggest Deadline winners

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2015 Trade Deadline recap 5:04

As the 2015 Trade Deadline comes to a close, the MLB Tonight crew recaps the top trades around the league

By Jim Duquette
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MLB.com |

While the actual Deadline day didn't feature many high-profile moves, the last week has been filled with them. Now that the dust has settled, here are the three clubs that I think improved the most as a result of Trade Deadline deals.

TORONTO -- David Price's world was turned upside down last year when he was dealt to Detroit from Tampa Bay, the only organization he had ever known. All of a sudden, there were unfamiliar faces everywhere and it understandably took some time to adjust. This season seems like a polar opposite by comparison.

Price was moved prior to the non-waiver Trade Deadline for the second consecutive year, but this time there's a "been there, done that" kind of feel to it. He experienced everything before, which should make his transition to the Blue Jays relatively easy.

TORONTO -- Josh Donaldson hit a walk-off single in the 11th inning to send the Blue Jays to a 7-6 victory over the Royals on Friday night at Rogers Centre.

Donaldson's third hit of the night scored Troy Tulowitzki from second and came off left-hander Franklin Morales. The rally in the 11th inning began with a one-out single by Tulowitzki, who later advanced to second when a balk was called on Morales. Donaldson finished 3-for-5 with a walk, four RBIs and a run scored.

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays had every intention of being extremely active prior to this year's non-waiver Trade Deadline, but nobody could have predicted that Alex Anthopoulos would make this many moves in such a short period of time.

Left-handers Wells, Brentz and Rasmussen headed to Mariners

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays' made another move to solidify their bullpen on Friday afternoon by acquiring right-hander Mark Lowe from the Mariners in exchange for three Minor League pitchers.

Left-hander Nick Wells is the primary piece going to Seattle, while lefties Jacob Brentz and Rob Rasmussen also were included in the deal that was officially announced approximately two hours before Friday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline.

Blue Jays place Travis on DL, activate Price

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Travis leaves with injury 1:42

7/28/15: After striking out to end the 2nd, Devon Travis gets a visit from the trainer and is forced to exit the game with an injury

By Cash Kruth
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays will be without the services of second baseman Devon Travis for at least the next two weeks after he was placed on the 15-day disabled list prior to Friday night's game vs. the Royals.

The move is retroactive to July 29, and it opened a spot on the roster for left-hander David Price to be officially added to the 25-man roster. A replacement for Travis will join the Blue Jays prior to Saturday's game, with Munenori Kawasaki appearing to be the top candidate.

Blue Jays win bidding for prized lefty Price

MLB.com Blue Jays reporter Gregor Chisholm talks about Toronto acquiring David Price from the Tigers for a trio of prospects

By Gregor Chisholm
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays became instant contenders in the American League after they pulled off yet another blockbuster trade on Thursday afternoon by acquiring former AL Cy Young Award winner David Price from the Tigers.

Toronto sent left-handed prospects Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt to the Tigers as part of the deal. It's the second major move this week after the Blue Jays acquired All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins from the Rockies on Tuesday.

All three home runs were charged to Kansas City left-hander Danny Duffy, who allowed five runs on six hits and four walks over six innings. It was the first time Duffy surrendered more than four runs since May 11 and it broke a string of four consecutive quality starts.

The Blue Jays' new playoff odds

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Blue Jays acquire Price 2:41

MLB.com Blue Jays reporter Gregor Chisholm talks about Toronto acquiring David Price from the Tigers for a trio of prospects

By Mike Petriello
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MLB.com |

There are two ways to look at the pair of jaw-dropping non-waiver Trade Deadline deals that brought the Blue Jays two of baseball's biggest stars in Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. Either the Blue Jays are a much better team than their 52-51 record would make it seem -- their run differential of plus-100 heading into Thursday night was the second best in all of baseball, after all -- and circumstances demand they go all-in this year, or they're the frustrating group that's suffered three losing months out of four and is just a game up on the fourth-place Tampa Bay Rays.

How you feel about the decision to mortgage some of the future in an attempt to win now is without question colored by what you think the Blue Jays' chances actually are of making 2015 a memorable year. Clearly, Toronto management feels it's the former, because they've cashed in six players, including highly touted pitching prospects Daniel Norris and Jeff Hoffman, to try to end the longest playoff drought in North American team sports. (Norris and Hoffman were each born in 1993, the last time Toronto saw postseason baseball.)

Blue Jays players beaming over acquisitions

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Blue Jays acquire Price 2:41

MLB.com Blue Jays reporter Gregor Chisholm talks about Toronto acquiring David Price from the Tigers for a trio of prospects

By Jamie Ross
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- When the Blue Jays didn't swing a deal to upgrade their roster at the 2014 non-waiver Trade Deadline, there were grumblings in the clubhouse that the club had missed an opportunity to gear up for a playoff run.

Jamie Ross is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Stroman tweeted from class when Price was traded

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By Michael Clair |

Were you ever in class and, by the time you got out, found out that your friends had left for an impromptu road trip -- telling you, "We tried to reach you, but your phone was off while you were learning?" Well, today's story is kind of like that, except much cooler, because it involves Major League Baseball, deadline deals and Twitter.

Marcus Stroman, currently working on his degree while recovering from a knee injury this season, tweeted that he was heading to class, and he needed people to keep him in the loop when he wasn't on the transaction beat.

Tracy Ringolsby is a columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Blue Jays pay visit to SickKids Hospital

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Mark Buehrle poses with some new friends at SickKids Hospital. (Michelle Prata)

By Alexis Brudnicki
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Special to MLB.com |

TORONTO -- It was a break from the everyday routine.

Before Wednesday night's game against the Phillies, several Blue Jays players, their wives and staff members took some time out of their morning to make the day special for children battling through their daily lives at SickKids Hospital in Toronto.

In first career start batting leadoff, Blue Jays new arrival homers, doubles twice, drives in three

TORONTO -- Troy Tulowitzki apparently has a thing for making positive first impressions, because he didn't waste any time showing his teammates and the city of Toronto just how good he can be.

Tulowitzki went 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, three RBIs and three runs to lead the Blue Jays to an 8-2 victory over the Phillies in his American League debut Wednesday. Not bad for a guy who less than 36 hours prior had been left stunned by a shocking trade away from the only Major League franchise he had ever known.

Blue Jays follow Tulo's lead in rout of Phillies

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Must C: Tulo's Blue Jays debut 2:13

7/29/15: Troy Tulowitzki impresses the fans in Toronto with a home run and pair of doubles in his Blue Jays debut

By Jamie Ross and Todd Zolecki
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- Troy Tulowitzki made the most of his Blue Jays debut Wednesday, cracking a homer while collecting a pair of doubles in an 8-2 win over the Phillies at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays' newest star collected three hits with three RBIs and three runs scored as Toronto split the two-game set.

Making his first career start in a leadoff role, Tulowitzki, acquired in a trade with the Rockies on Tuesday, made his presence felt in the third, when he went deep with a two-run shot off Philly starter Jerome Williams to spot the Blue Jays an early 2-0 lead. He was at it again in the fifth, when he laced a leadoff double to left field before Jose Bautista cashed him in with a one-out single. Tulowitzki hit an RBI double off the wall in his next at-bat as part of a three-run sixth, and he finished 3-for-5.

Jamie Ross is an associate reporter for MLB.com. Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his Phillies blog The Zo Zone, follow him on Twitter and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

TORONTO -- Troy Tulowitzki had been frequently mentioned in trade talks over the last couple of years, but his constant presence in the rumor mill did little to alleviate the shock he felt when Colorado officially agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Blue Jays.

Tulowitzki admitted he was "blindsided" by Tuesday's deal that saw him head to Toronto alongside reliever LaTroy Hawkins in a stunning trade for Jose Reyes and a package of top pitching prospects. The business side of baseball can often serve as a wakeup call for a lot of players, and that harsh reality was pretty evident this week.

Troy Tulowitzki crushes homer in Jays debut

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By Matt Monagan |

You may have heard that Troy Tulowitzki was traded from the Rockies to the Blue Jays this week. We even gave him a guide on how to enjoy his new home north of the border. But instead of gorging on poutine or growing a mullet, Tulo, who was making his debut against the Phillies on Wednesday night, figured the best way to fit in would be to do as his other teammates do -- destroy baseballs into the far reaches of Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays' star outfielder said on Wednesday that he felt his comments regarding the Troy Tulowitzki trade a day earlier were unfairly characterized by local broadcast networks, which suggested that he was less than enthusiastic about the club acquiring the All-Star shortstop in a trade for Jose Reyes.